In playing our part in the fight for a greener planet, we’ve recently published our climate report, which contains our current green tackles, as well as future commitments. Of course, the biggest player in our green fight is you: the bunq community, who’s already planted millions of trees!
How can we do more?
While we’re very proud of each accomplishment, we always wonder - what’s the next step? How do we keep going? How do we lead by example, be the change we want to see in the world?
We wanted to bring about a small change that all bunq employees can make, so that together we make an impact, and hopefully inspire others to follow. And so we’ve introduced... Meatless Monday!
Why do we do this?
We looked at what could be done within our means and the answer seemed easy: cut on our meat consumption! That’s because meat production is an important factor associated with global warming and climate change. The yearly production is projected to double from what it was in 1900, by 2050 - so the gases will only increase with this. A quick and easy way to lower our greenhouse gas emissions is to eat less meat.
Wondering why meat makes such a difference? Basically, the more meat we eat, the more grain is needed to feed the animals, the more water and land are used to grow that grain, and the more energy to run the slaughterhouses.
Would something as small as Meatless Monday make a difference? According to this study made in the USA, if everyone there reduced their meat consumption by a quarter, we’d save about 82 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
So why are we doing this? To eat healthier meals and make our bodies happy, while also lowering our global warming footprint, and having a diet that reflects our beliefs.
What do bunqers think?
“I’m vegan, so of course I love it!”, says Ophelia. While she just recently switched to the new lifestyle, she’s happy to see that we’re all collectively taking a small step forward.
“Loving the food so far and I’m really happy we’re doing this. I was already eating vegetarian at home at least 70% of the time so it’s not a big change for me - let’s keep it up!”, said Pieter.
“I’m pretty easy going so if there's no meat, it’s not like I miss it or anything. Feels good to do Meatless Monday, and it’s tasty. I don't eat exclusively vegetarian at home, but often I make meat free dishes just because I want a specific recipe.”, added Alex.
Matteo couldn’t wait for Meatless Monday to start! In fact, he was the one who started the project. “I plant trees as I spend with bunq and I mostly eat vegetarian myself. But seeing my colleagues eat meat every day made me feel like my impact was not so big. So I’ve decided to take things into my own hands to help everyone reduce their carbon footprint. I was a bit scared of the reactions people would have about it, but in the end there were a lot of bunqers supporting the initiative and being excited about it! Overall, I feel proud to be part of this change and to see that from an idea in my head I was able to - with the help of other bunqers - give my contribution towards reducing bunq's carbon footprint.”
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What does our amazing chef think?
“I think it’s a great idea!”, says David. “It obviously goes with who we are as a company, and I love that we can do part of that right here in the kitchen! The feedback was really positive, with nothing more than a where’s my meat? joke. It’s not more difficult to cook vegetarian either, skills wise or anything - the challenge is to look at a person that eats meat and build a vegetarian menu around them - but it seems to be going pretty well!”
And how does David decide what we’re having in our Amsterdam bunqer on Meatless Monday? “I make all my menus on Sunday. I’ve been a chef for 15 years, so I’ve got plenty of ideas in mind. I usually start with a vegetable that I want to work with, and take it from there. I pick what’s in season. Then I think of allergies and other concerns, take that into account...and bam, we have a winning lunch menu in no time!”
There we go! That's how we do Meatless Monday at bunq!
Do you do this at home or your office? Are you considering it? Together, we can make the planet greener every day!
